SATO AND THE ELEPHANTS

Based on a true incident, the story of a Japanese ivory carver who, after devoting a lifetime to his art, gave it up when he found a bullet in the magnificent block of ivory he had hoped to make into his masterpiece. Realizing that his medium depended on the suffering of endangered animals, he became a stone carver. Havill (Jamaica's Find, 1986) embellishes her narrative with an unnecessary dream sequence that may confuse the youngest readers, but it does add drama to the quiet story. As in Dragon Kite of the Autumn Moon (1991), the Tsengs' double-page paintings are full of the homely details of an Asian culture—clothing, furnishings, tools; while the African dream sequence allows them to extend their palette and create a phantasmagorical elephant herd. The connection between Africa and Japan is of particular interest. (Picture book. 5-10)